Umalusi is responsible for the replacement of the Senior Certificate and National Senior Certificate as from September 1992.

To apply for a replacement (in lieu of a lost certificate) of your matric/Gr12 certificate the following is required:

A completed application form, which can be obtained at any of the departments of education or on the website of the National Department of Basic Education (www.education.gov.za)

Applications forms must be completed taking care of the detail required, e.g. year qualifications obtained, surname and names under which the person qualified for the certificate and where possible the school name.

Applications for lost certificate / re-issues can be done at any of the Departments of Education, irrespective of where you wrote your matric, for example, if you have written the exam in a school in Eastern Cape, you can approach the Mpumalanga Department of Education for a replacement certificate.

An affidavit – All applications for replacement of lost/damaged certificates should be accompanied by a signed affidavit from a police station stating the status of the original certificate e.g. stolen; lost in a move.

It should be noted that the previous certificate is cancelled when a replacement certificate is issued.

A certified copy of the candidate`s identity document is required. (This copy must be certified by a commissioner of oaths. A copy can be made and certified either at a police station or at an attorney`s office where they should do it for free.)

Proof of payment of administration fees – An administration fee is payable with a request for a certificate. The fee payable can be established with the accredited assessment body. The fee is reviewed on an annual basis.

Please note the following important information:

A certificate cannot be issued on the same day that the application is submitted. The processing time is 4 – 6 weeks under normal circumstances.

A request for replacements for certificates obtained prior to November 1992 can be made from the office of any of the Departments of Education and the same procedure followed.

Contact details for the various provincial and National Departments are as follows:

You can verify your educational Qualifications on the National Learners` Records Database (NLRD) at the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA).

If you are an employer, you can also confirm the Qualifications of your employees on the database. If you check your own information, you receive the full record of what the NLRD holds concerning you. When other parties verify your information as a learner, they must give an exact query (which Qualification, Institution and date). SAQA`s response is either “found” or “not found” concerning that information only.

Information currently available on the NLRD

University achievements from 1986 to 2008 in full

Partial information from 1965 to 1985

A small amount of information from 1964 back to 1900.

Information from 2009 and 2010 is currently being loaded, and can be verified against the unaudited dataset that is held separately from the NLRD itself.

To request your own transcript of achievements from the National Learners’ Records Database, please e-mail your National ID Number and Full Name, with the subject “Request for Transcript”, to verifications@saqa.org.za

Please note: the transcript is for your own information. It does not replace SAQA’s usual verification process and reports. It is not a verification statement in terms of the Public Service directive, and it should not be attached to job applications.

Should there be no information, you can contact the NQF and Career Advice Services on help@careerhelp.org.za with scanned copies of your certificates for further information.

6. How can I check if the courses I have completed have credit towards a Qualification?

You can verify your educational Qualifications on the National Learners` Records Database (NLRD) at the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA). If you check your own information, you receive the full record of what the NLRD holds concerning you. Should there be no information, you can contact the NQF and Career Advice Services on *protected email* with scanned copies of your certificates for further information. (as per information sent by NLRD)

Confirm Higher Educational Institutions

Students, parents and learners need to make sure that schools where they register their children are fully registered with the South African Qualifications Authority and the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET).

To do this‚ students are advised to check the registration certificate of that institution.

This certificate‚ issued by the DHET‚ must be able to clearly show all the programmes each institution is accredited to offer.

If there is a programme that is not included in that certificate but which the institution promises to offer‚ students must know that they are being conned.

A list of all the names of institutions that are fully registered and operating legally is available at on the links below:

7. What should learners know before enrolling for a study programme or qualification?

Before you register for any qualification or programme

Ensure that:

You fully understand the accreditation status of the institution offering the qualification and that

You fully understand the status of the qualification or programme.

Use the following information when considering Where to enrol and What to enrol for.

Umalusi (the Council for Quality Assurance in General and Further Education and Training) is an official body that accredits private providers to offer particular qualifications on the National Qualifications Framework (NQF) at levels 1-4.

Umalusi accredits:

Private FET colleges

Independent schools

Private adult education and training providers

NB: Public providers such as public schools, public adult learning centres and public FET colleges are not required to seek accreditation

Registration and Accreditation of Private Providers

To ensure that you enrol with a credible provider

Make sure that the institution is registered by the appropriate Department of Education and

Secondly, it is accredited by Umalusi or another Quality Council or body such as a Sector Education and Training Authority (SETA)

These are two separate, but related processes

-Firstly

All private providers of education and training that offer qualifications certified by Umalusi (above) MUST be registered with the state in order to operate legally in South Africa. This means that independent schools must register with the appropriate Provincial Department of Education and private FET colleges must register with the Department of Higher Education and Training in Pretoria.

Note: An exception has been made for private providers that offer short courses and skills programmes exclusively accredited by the Quality Council for Trades and Occupations (QCTO) – these do not have to register.

Private providers are required to display their registration certificate publicly and you, as a prospective client, MUST ask to see the certificate of registration. The certificate of registration will include the national qualifications which the provider is registered to offer.

-Secondly

Private providers must be accredited either with Umalusi or another quality assurance body to offer a specific qualification. Quality assurance bodies issue letters or certificates accrediting a provider. You should check whether a provider is accredited to offer the national qualification you wish to enrol for and ask for the accreditation number.

A list of private institutions accredited by Umalusi can be found on our website at www.umalusi.org.za

If you want to check on a provider accredited by QCTO or a SETA (Sector Education and Training Authority) go to the website of the South African Qualifications Authority at www.saqa.org.za and click on the links with the various SETAs where you can access lists of accredited providers.

Qualifications offered by Private Providers

Private providers may provide a range of qualifications. These may include formal credit-bearing qualifications registered on the National Qualifications Framework (NQF) (which they must be accredited to offer), and non-formal provider programmes. Also, some institutions offer foreign programmes, which are quality assured by foreign bodies.

Students must therefore, before they enrol for a qualification, ascertain whether the qualification they are registering for, is a formal national qualification, or a non- formal provider programme.

Umalusi certifies a number of formal qualifications offered by both public and private providers and consequently accredits such providers to offer these qualifications. These are:

The National Senior Certificate(NSC)

The National Certificate Vocational (NCV)

The National Technical Certificate (N3) Engineering as well as

The General Education and Training Certificate: Adult (GETC)

Qualifications and Programmes

Private providers generally offer three main types of qualifications, namely

National Qualifications are formal qualifications registered on the National Qualifications Framework (NQF), which is a centralized register of all the nationally recognized qualifications in South Africa.

National qualifications are developed and quality assured by Quality Councils, namely Umalusi, the Council on Higher Education (CHE) and the Quality Council for Trades and Occupations (QCTO), under which all the SETAs fall. National qualifications carry national credits and are certificated by the Quality Councils and in the case of higher education by universities, but NOT by a provider. Examples of such qualifications are:

The National Senior Certificate as offered by most high schools in South Africa

The GETC: adult as offered by many adult education and training providers

The National Certificate Vocational (NCV) offered by public FET colleges and some private colleges

Further Education and Training Certificates of various kinds also offered by FET colleges, such as Perishable Produce Exportation or Mechanical Engineering: Pipe-Fitting or Small Business Management and so forth

There are many such qualifications registered on the NQF.

NB: To check whether a qualification is registered on the NQF go to the website of the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA) at www.saqa.org.za

Please keep the following in mind before you enrol for a National Qualification:

If you wish to enrol for a nationally recognised qualification ask the provider for written proof that the qualification is registered on the NQF – the NQF ID number should be in evidence or check whether it is registered by going to www.saqa.org.za.

Ask for evidence that the provider is registered with the Department of Education to offer specific national qualifications – a certificate should be publicly displayed.

Ask for evidence that the provider has approval or accreditation from the relevant Quality Council such as QCTO or Umalusi or the Council on Higher Education (CHE) to offer the qualification.

If you are enrolling for an N Certificate / NCV or National Senior Certificate, keep in mind that you will write national examinations set by the Department of Education. Providers are not allowed to set their own examinations or issue certificates for these qualifications. These qualifications are certified by Umalusi.

Provider Programmes

If you are enrolling on a Provider Programme remember that they serve a different purpose to National Qualifications. Provider Programmes are usually designed to address specific education, training and development needs that may not necessarily be addressed by National Qualifications, for example courses for self-enrichment, continuous professional development, self- employment, or orientation to a specific career.

Provider Programmes are quality assured and certified by the provider, i.e. the college, itself.; they are not registered on the NQF; do not carry any national credits; and do not lead to a National Qualification.

Agent Qualifications

Some providers offer qualifications and programmes on behalf of professional or foreign awarding bodies. Some of these qualifications are national qualifications registered on the NQF while others are not, and some are foreign qualifications. The provider acts as an agent of the professional or awarding body. Examples include qualifications and programmes examined and certified by Pitmans, CompTia, Cambridge, Microsoft, IMM, ICSA (professional body), City and Guilds, Edexel and so forth etc.

Please remember: it is not illegal to offer agent qualification, providing the provider is licensed to offer them by a foreign awarding body or a professional body and the provider is registered with the Department of Education.

To summarise:

Decide what kind of programme or qualification you wish to enrol for, i.e. national qualification, provider programme or agency qualification, remembering to also establish what the certificate will mean once you have completed it – Will it be recognized nationally? Will it ensure a job? Will it be recognized internationally? Will it provide enrichment or professional development?

Is the provider accredited either with Umalusi or QCTO or CHE to offer the national qualification you wish to register for? A list of providers accredited with Umalusi can be found at www.umalusi.org.za; QCTO (SETAs) accredited providers can be found on the SETA websites and also accessed through the SAQA website at www.saqa.org.za

Is the provider registered with the Department of Education? For FET colleges check on the following website: www.dhet.gov.za ; for independent schools contact the appropriate provincial department of education.

8. Umalusi for the verification of my certificates?

The Council has the responsibility for the issuing of the following certificates:

Senior Certificate

National Senior Certificate (FET colleges)

National N3 Certificate

Subject certificate

General Education and Training Certificate

Learning area certificate

National Certificate (Vocational)

National Senior Certificate (Schools)

Subject statement

Please note that Umalusi does not work directly with members of the public with regard to verification services. Individuals should apply through a verification agency for verification services.

Please visit our website at www.umalusi.org.za under the verification heading for the names of agencies that have contracts with Umalusi. There are a number of other verification agencies which are not listed, but which have contracts with Umalusi, that can also be contacted. You are not limited to using an agency listed on the website.

Please note: Agencies charge varying fees for verification services. You are therefore advised to request prices from more than one agency before requesting the verification of your qualifications.

Umalusi is responsible for the replacement of the Senior Certificate and National Senior Certificate as from September 1992.

To apply for a replacement (in lieu of a lost certificate) of your matric/Gr12 certificate the following is required:

A completed application form, which can be obtained at any of the departments of education or on the website of the National Department of Basic Education (www.education.gov.za)

Applications forms must be completed taking care of the detail required, e.g. year qualifications obtained, surname and names under which the person qualified for the certificate and where possible the school name.

Applications for lost certificate / re-issues can be done at any of the Departments of Education, irrespective of where you wrote your matric, for example, if you have written the exam in a school in Eastern Cape, you can approach the Mpumalanga Department of Education for a replacement certificate.

An affidavit – All applications for replacement of lost/damaged certificates should be accompanied by a signed affidavit from a police station stating the status of the original certificate e.g. stolen; lost in a move.

It should be noted that the previous certificate is cancelled when a replacement certificate is issued.

A certified copy of the candidate`s identity document is required. (This copy must be certified by a commissioner of oaths. A copy can be made and certified either at a police station or at an attorney`s office where they should do it for free.)

Proof of payment of administration fees – An administration fee is payable with a request for a certificate. The fee payable can be established with the accredited assessment body. The fee is reviewed on an annual basis.

Please note the following important information:

A certificate cannot be issued on the same day that the application is submitted. The processing time is 4 – 6 weeks under normal circumstances.

A request for replacements for certificates obtained prior to November 1992 can be made from the office of any of the Departments of Education and the same procedure followed.

Contact details for the various provincial and National Departments are as follows:

You can verify your educational Qualifications on the National Learners` Records Database (NLRD) at the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA).

If you are an employer, you can also confirm the Qualifications of your employees on the database. If you check your own information, you receive the full record of what the NLRD holds concerning you. When other parties verify your information as a learner, they must give an exact query (which Qualification, Institution and date). SAQA`s response is either “found” or “not found” concerning that information only.

Information currently available on the NLRD

University achievements from 1986 to 2008 in full

Partial information from 1965 to 1985

A small amount of information from 1964 back to 1900.

Information from 2009 and 2010 is currently being loaded, and can be verified against the unaudited dataset that is held separately from the NLRD itself.

To request your own transcript of achievements from the National Learners’ Records Database, please e-mail your National ID Number and Full Name, with the subject “Request for Transcript”, to verifications@saqa.org.za

Please note: the transcript is for your own information. It does not replace SAQA’s usual verification process and reports. It is not a verification statement in terms of the Public Service directive, and it should not be attached to job applications.

Should there be no information, you can contact the NQF and Career Advice Services on help@careerhelp.org.za with scanned copies of your certificates for further information.

6. How can I check if the courses I have completed have credit towards a Qualification?

You can verify your educational Qualifications on the National Learners` Records Database (NLRD) at the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA). If you check your own information, you receive the full record of what the NLRD holds concerning you. Should there be no information, you can contact the NQF and Career Advice Services on *protected email* with scanned copies of your certificates for further information. (as per information sent by NLRD)

Confirm Higher Educational Institutions

Students, parents and learners need to make sure that schools where they register their children are fully registered with the South African Qualifications Authority and the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET).

To do this‚ students are advised to check the registration certificate of that institution.

This certificate‚ issued by the DHET‚ must be able to clearly show all the programmes each institution is accredited to offer.

If there is a programme that is not included in that certificate but which the institution promises to offer‚ students must know that they are being conned.

A list of all the names of institutions that are fully registered and operating legally is available at on the links below:

7. What should learners know before enrolling for a study programme or qualification?

Before you register for any qualification or programme

Ensure that:

You fully understand the accreditation status of the institution offering the qualification and that

You fully understand the status of the qualification or programme.

Use the following information when considering Where to enrol and What to enrol for.

Umalusi (the Council for Quality Assurance in General and Further Education and Training) is an official body that accredits private providers to offer particular qualifications on the National Qualifications Framework (NQF) at levels 1-4.

Umalusi accredits:

Private FET colleges

Independent schools

Private adult education and training providers

NB: Public providers such as public schools, public adult learning centres and public FET colleges are not required to seek accreditation

Registration and Accreditation of Private Providers

To ensure that you enrol with a credible provider

Make sure that the institution is registered by the appropriate Department of Education and

Secondly, it is accredited by Umalusi or another Quality Council or body such as a Sector Education and Training Authority (SETA)

These are two separate, but related processes

-Firstly

All private providers of education and training that offer qualifications certified by Umalusi (above) MUST be registered with the state in order to operate legally in South Africa. This means that independent schools must register with the appropriate Provincial Department of Education and private FET colleges must register with the Department of Higher Education and Training in Pretoria.

Note: An exception has been made for private providers that offer short courses and skills programmes exclusively accredited by the Quality Council for Trades and Occupations (QCTO) – these do not have to register.

Private providers are required to display their registration certificate publicly and you, as a prospective client, MUST ask to see the certificate of registration. The certificate of registration will include the national qualifications which the provider is registered to offer.

-Secondly

Private providers must be accredited either with Umalusi or another quality assurance body to offer a specific qualification. Quality assurance bodies issue letters or certificates accrediting a provider. You should check whether a provider is accredited to offer the national qualification you wish to enrol for and ask for the accreditation number.

A list of private institutions accredited by Umalusi can be found on our website at www.umalusi.org.za

If you want to check on a provider accredited by QCTO or a SETA (Sector Education and Training Authority) go to the website of the South African Qualifications Authority at www.saqa.org.za and click on the links with the various SETAs where you can access lists of accredited providers.

Qualifications offered by Private Providers

Private providers may provide a range of qualifications. These may include formal credit-bearing qualifications registered on the National Qualifications Framework (NQF) (which they must be accredited to offer), and non-formal provider programmes. Also, some institutions offer foreign programmes, which are quality assured by foreign bodies.

Students must therefore, before they enrol for a qualification, ascertain whether the qualification they are registering for, is a formal national qualification, or a non- formal provider programme.

Umalusi certifies a number of formal qualifications offered by both public and private providers and consequently accredits such providers to offer these qualifications. These are:

The National Senior Certificate(NSC)

The National Certificate Vocational (NCV)

The National Technical Certificate (N3) Engineering as well as

The General Education and Training Certificate: Adult (GETC)

Qualifications and Programmes

Private providers generally offer three main types of qualifications, namely

National Qualifications are formal qualifications registered on the National Qualifications Framework (NQF), which is a centralized register of all the nationally recognized qualifications in South Africa.

National qualifications are developed and quality assured by Quality Councils, namely Umalusi, the Council on Higher Education (CHE) and the Quality Council for Trades and Occupations (QCTO), under which all the SETAs fall. National qualifications carry national credits and are certificated by the Quality Councils and in the case of higher education by universities, but NOT by a provider. Examples of such qualifications are:

The National Senior Certificate as offered by most high schools in South Africa

The GETC: adult as offered by many adult education and training providers

The National Certificate Vocational (NCV) offered by public FET colleges and some private colleges

Further Education and Training Certificates of various kinds also offered by FET colleges, such as Perishable Produce Exportation or Mechanical Engineering: Pipe-Fitting or Small Business Management and so forth

There are many such qualifications registered on the NQF.

NB: To check whether a qualification is registered on the NQF go to the website of the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA) at www.saqa.org.za

Please keep the following in mind before you enrol for a National Qualification:

If you wish to enrol for a nationally recognised qualification ask the provider for written proof that the qualification is registered on the NQF – the NQF ID number should be in evidence or check whether it is registered by going to www.saqa.org.za.

Ask for evidence that the provider is registered with the Department of Education to offer specific national qualifications – a certificate should be publicly displayed.

Ask for evidence that the provider has approval or accreditation from the relevant Quality Council such as QCTO or Umalusi or the Council on Higher Education (CHE) to offer the qualification.

If you are enrolling for an N Certificate / NCV or National Senior Certificate, keep in mind that you will write national examinations set by the Department of Education. Providers are not allowed to set their own examinations or issue certificates for these qualifications. These qualifications are certified by Umalusi.

Provider Programmes

If you are enrolling on a Provider Programme remember that they serve a different purpose to National Qualifications. Provider Programmes are usually designed to address specific education, training and development needs that may not necessarily be addressed by National Qualifications, for example courses for self-enrichment, continuous professional development, self- employment, or orientation to a specific career.

Provider Programmes are quality assured and certified by the provider, i.e. the college, itself.; they are not registered on the NQF; do not carry any national credits; and do not lead to a National Qualification.

Agent Qualifications

Some providers offer qualifications and programmes on behalf of professional or foreign awarding bodies. Some of these qualifications are national qualifications registered on the NQF while others are not, and some are foreign qualifications. The provider acts as an agent of the professional or awarding body. Examples include qualifications and programmes examined and certified by Pitmans, CompTia, Cambridge, Microsoft, IMM, ICSA (professional body), City and Guilds, Edexel and so forth etc.

Please remember: it is not illegal to offer agent qualification, providing the provider is licensed to offer them by a foreign awarding body or a professional body and the provider is registered with the Department of Education.

To summarise:

Decide what kind of programme or qualification you wish to enrol for, i.e. national qualification, provider programme or agency qualification, remembering to also establish what the certificate will mean once you have completed it – Will it be recognized nationally? Will it ensure a job? Will it be recognized internationally? Will it provide enrichment or professional development?

Is the provider accredited either with Umalusi or QCTO or CHE to offer the national qualification you wish to register for? A list of providers accredited with Umalusi can be found at www.umalusi.org.za; QCTO (SETAs) accredited providers can be found on the SETA websites and also accessed through the SAQA website at www.saqa.org.za

Is the provider registered with the Department of Education? For FET colleges check on the following website: www.dhet.gov.za ; for independent schools contact the appropriate provincial department of education.

8. Umalusi for the verification of my certificates?

The Council has the responsibility for the issuing of the following certificates:

Senior Certificate

National Senior Certificate (FET colleges)

National N3 Certificate

Subject certificate

General Education and Training Certificate

Learning area certificate

National Certificate (Vocational)

National Senior Certificate (Schools)

Subject statement

Please note that Umalusi does not work directly with members of the public with regard to verification services. Individuals should apply through a verification agency for verification services.

Please visit our website at www.umalusi.org.za under the verification heading for the names of agencies that have contracts with Umalusi. There are a number of other verification agencies which are not listed, but which have contracts with Umalusi, that can also be contacted. You are not limited to using an agency listed on the website.

Please note: Agencies charge varying fees for verification services. You are therefore advised to request prices from more than one agency before requesting the verification of your qualifications.

Umalusi is responsible for the replacement of the Senior Certificate and National Senior Certificate as from September 1992.

To apply for a replacement (in lieu of a lost certificate) of your matric/Gr12 certificate the following is required:

A completed application form, which can be obtained at any of the departments of education or on the website of the National Department of Basic Education (www.education.gov.za)

Applications forms must be completed taking care of the detail required, e.g. year qualifications obtained, surname and names under which the person qualified for the certificate and where possible the school name.

Applications for lost certificate / re-issues can be done at any of the Departments of Education, irrespective of where you wrote your matric, for example, if you have written the exam in a school in Eastern Cape, you can approach the Mpumalanga Department of Education for a replacement certificate.

An affidavit – All applications for replacement of lost/damaged certificates should be accompanied by a signed affidavit from a police station stating the status of the original certificate e.g. stolen; lost in a move.

It should be noted that the previous certificate is cancelled when a replacement certificate is issued.

A certified copy of the candidate`s identity document is required. (This copy must be certified by a commissioner of oaths. A copy can be made and certified either at a police station or at an attorney`s office where they should do it for free.)

Proof of payment of administration fees – An administration fee is payable with a request for a certificate. The fee payable can be established with the accredited assessment body. The fee is reviewed on an annual basis.

Please note the following important information:

A certificate cannot be issued on the same day that the application is submitted. The processing time is 4 – 6 weeks under normal circumstances.

A request for replacements for certificates obtained prior to November 1992 can be made from the office of any of the Departments of Education and the same procedure followed.

Contact details for the various provincial and National Departments are as follows:

You can verify your educational Qualifications on the National Learners` Records Database (NLRD) at the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA).

If you are an employer, you can also confirm the Qualifications of your employees on the database. If you check your own information, you receive the full record of what the NLRD holds concerning you. When other parties verify your information as a learner, they must give an exact query (which Qualification, Institution and date). SAQA`s response is either “found” or “not found” concerning that information only.

Information currently available on the NLRD

University achievements from 1986 to 2008 in full

Partial information from 1965 to 1985

A small amount of information from 1964 back to 1900.

Information from 2009 and 2010 is currently being loaded, and can be verified against the unaudited dataset that is held separately from the NLRD itself.

To request your own transcript of achievements from the National Learners’ Records Database, please e-mail your National ID Number and Full Name, with the subject “Request for Transcript”, to verifications@saqa.org.za

Please note: the transcript is for your own information. It does not replace SAQA’s usual verification process and reports. It is not a verification statement in terms of the Public Service directive, and it should not be attached to job applications.

Should there be no information, you can contact the NQF and Career Advice Services on help@careerhelp.org.za with scanned copies of your certificates for further information.

6. How can I check if the courses I have completed have credit towards a Qualification?

You can verify your educational Qualifications on the National Learners` Records Database (NLRD) at the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA). If you check your own information, you receive the full record of what the NLRD holds concerning you. Should there be no information, you can contact the NQF and Career Advice Services on *protected email* with scanned copies of your certificates for further information. (as per information sent by NLRD)

Confirm Higher Educational Institutions

Students, parents and learners need to make sure that schools where they register their children are fully registered with the South African Qualifications Authority and the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET).

To do this‚ students are advised to check the registration certificate of that institution.

This certificate‚ issued by the DHET‚ must be able to clearly show all the programmes each institution is accredited to offer.

If there is a programme that is not included in that certificate but which the institution promises to offer‚ students must know that they are being conned.

A list of all the names of institutions that are fully registered and operating legally is available at on the links below:

7. What should learners know before enrolling for a study programme or qualification?

Before you register for any qualification or programme

Ensure that:

You fully understand the accreditation status of the institution offering the qualification and that

You fully understand the status of the qualification or programme.

Use the following information when considering Where to enrol and What to enrol for.

Umalusi (the Council for Quality Assurance in General and Further Education and Training) is an official body that accredits private providers to offer particular qualifications on the National Qualifications Framework (NQF) at levels 1-4.

Umalusi accredits:

Private FET colleges

Independent schools

Private adult education and training providers

NB: Public providers such as public schools, public adult learning centres and public FET colleges are not required to seek accreditation

Registration and Accreditation of Private Providers

To ensure that you enrol with a credible provider

Make sure that the institution is registered by the appropriate Department of Education and

Secondly, it is accredited by Umalusi or another Quality Council or body such as a Sector Education and Training Authority (SETA)

These are two separate, but related processes

-Firstly

All private providers of education and training that offer qualifications certified by Umalusi (above) MUST be registered with the state in order to operate legally in South Africa. This means that independent schools must register with the appropriate Provincial Department of Education and private FET colleges must register with the Department of Higher Education and Training in Pretoria.

Note: An exception has been made for private providers that offer short courses and skills programmes exclusively accredited by the Quality Council for Trades and Occupations (QCTO) – these do not have to register.

Private providers are required to display their registration certificate publicly and you, as a prospective client, MUST ask to see the certificate of registration. The certificate of registration will include the national qualifications which the provider is registered to offer.

-Secondly

Private providers must be accredited either with Umalusi or another quality assurance body to offer a specific qualification. Quality assurance bodies issue letters or certificates accrediting a provider. You should check whether a provider is accredited to offer the national qualification you wish to enrol for and ask for the accreditation number.

A list of private institutions accredited by Umalusi can be found on our website at www.umalusi.org.za

If you want to check on a provider accredited by QCTO or a SETA (Sector Education and Training Authority) go to the website of the South African Qualifications Authority at www.saqa.org.za and click on the links with the various SETAs where you can access lists of accredited providers.

Qualifications offered by Private Providers

Private providers may provide a range of qualifications. These may include formal credit-bearing qualifications registered on the National Qualifications Framework (NQF) (which they must be accredited to offer), and non-formal provider programmes. Also, some institutions offer foreign programmes, which are quality assured by foreign bodies.

Students must therefore, before they enrol for a qualification, ascertain whether the qualification they are registering for, is a formal national qualification, or a non- formal provider programme.

Umalusi certifies a number of formal qualifications offered by both public and private providers and consequently accredits such providers to offer these qualifications. These are:

The National Senior Certificate(NSC)

The National Certificate Vocational (NCV)

The National Technical Certificate (N3) Engineering as well as

The General Education and Training Certificate: Adult (GETC)

Qualifications and Programmes

Private providers generally offer three main types of qualifications, namely

National Qualifications are formal qualifications registered on the National Qualifications Framework (NQF), which is a centralized register of all the nationally recognized qualifications in South Africa.

National qualifications are developed and quality assured by Quality Councils, namely Umalusi, the Council on Higher Education (CHE) and the Quality Council for Trades and Occupations (QCTO), under which all the SETAs fall. National qualifications carry national credits and are certificated by the Quality Councils and in the case of higher education by universities, but NOT by a provider. Examples of such qualifications are:

The National Senior Certificate as offered by most high schools in South Africa

The GETC: adult as offered by many adult education and training providers

The National Certificate Vocational (NCV) offered by public FET colleges and some private colleges

Further Education and Training Certificates of various kinds also offered by FET colleges, such as Perishable Produce Exportation or Mechanical Engineering: Pipe-Fitting or Small Business Management and so forth

There are many such qualifications registered on the NQF.

NB: To check whether a qualification is registered on the NQF go to the website of the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA) at www.saqa.org.za

Please keep the following in mind before you enrol for a National Qualification:

If you wish to enrol for a nationally recognised qualification ask the provider for written proof that the qualification is registered on the NQF – the NQF ID number should be in evidence or check whether it is registered by going to www.saqa.org.za.

Ask for evidence that the provider is registered with the Department of Education to offer specific national qualifications – a certificate should be publicly displayed.

Ask for evidence that the provider has approval or accreditation from the relevant Quality Council such as QCTO or Umalusi or the Council on Higher Education (CHE) to offer the qualification.

If you are enrolling for an N Certificate / NCV or National Senior Certificate, keep in mind that you will write national examinations set by the Department of Education. Providers are not allowed to set their own examinations or issue certificates for these qualifications. These qualifications are certified by Umalusi.

Provider Programmes

If you are enrolling on a Provider Programme remember that they serve a different purpose to National Qualifications. Provider Programmes are usually designed to address specific education, training and development needs that may not necessarily be addressed by National Qualifications, for example courses for self-enrichment, continuous professional development, self- employment, or orientation to a specific career.

Provider Programmes are quality assured and certified by the provider, i.e. the college, itself.; they are not registered on the NQF; do not carry any national credits; and do not lead to a National Qualification.

Agent Qualifications

Some providers offer qualifications and programmes on behalf of professional or foreign awarding bodies. Some of these qualifications are national qualifications registered on the NQF while others are not, and some are foreign qualifications. The provider acts as an agent of the professional or awarding body. Examples include qualifications and programmes examined and certified by Pitmans, CompTia, Cambridge, Microsoft, IMM, ICSA (professional body), City and Guilds, Edexel and so forth etc.

Please remember: it is not illegal to offer agent qualification, providing the provider is licensed to offer them by a foreign awarding body or a professional body and the provider is registered with the Department of Education.

To summarise:

Decide what kind of programme or qualification you wish to enrol for, i.e. national qualification, provider programme or agency qualification, remembering to also establish what the certificate will mean once you have completed it – Will it be recognized nationally? Will it ensure a job? Will it be recognized internationally? Will it provide enrichment or professional development?

Is the provider accredited either with Umalusi or QCTO or CHE to offer the national qualification you wish to register for? A list of providers accredited with Umalusi can be found at www.umalusi.org.za; QCTO (SETAs) accredited providers can be found on the SETA websites and also accessed through the SAQA website at www.saqa.org.za

Is the provider registered with the Department of Education? For FET colleges check on the following website: www.dhet.gov.za ; for independent schools contact the appropriate provincial department of education.

8. Umalusi for the verification of my certificates?

The Council has the responsibility for the issuing of the following certificates:

Senior Certificate

National Senior Certificate (FET colleges)

National N3 Certificate

Subject certificate

General Education and Training Certificate

Learning area certificate

National Certificate (Vocational)

National Senior Certificate (Schools)

Subject statement

Please note that Umalusi does not work directly with members of the public with regard to verification services. Individuals should apply through a verification agency for verification services.

Please visit our website at www.umalusi.org.za under the verification heading for the names of agencies that have contracts with Umalusi. There are a number of other verification agencies which are not listed, but which have contracts with Umalusi, that can also be contacted. You are not limited to using an agency listed on the website.

Please note: Agencies charge varying fees for verification services. You are therefore advised to request prices from more than one agency before requesting the verification of your qualifications.

Umalusi is responsible for the replacement of the Senior Certificate and National Senior Certificate as from September 1992.

To apply for a replacement (in lieu of a lost certificate) of your matric/Gr12 certificate the following is required:

A completed application form, which can be obtained at any of the departments of education or on the website of the National Department of Basic Education (www.education.gov.za)

Applications forms must be completed taking care of the detail required, e.g. year qualifications obtained, surname and names under which the person qualified for the certificate and where possible the school name.

Applications for lost certificate / re-issues can be done at any of the Departments of Education, irrespective of where you wrote your matric, for example, if you have written the exam in a school in Eastern Cape, you can approach the Mpumalanga Department of Education for a replacement certificate.

An affidavit – All applications for replacement of lost/damaged certificates should be accompanied by a signed affidavit from a police station stating the status of the original certificate e.g. stolen; lost in a move.

It should be noted that the previous certificate is cancelled when a replacement certificate is issued.

A certified copy of the candidate`s identity document is required. (This copy must be certified by a commissioner of oaths. A copy can be made and certified either at a police station or at an attorney`s office where they should do it for free.)

Proof of payment of administration fees – An administration fee is payable with a request for a certificate. The fee payable can be established with the accredited assessment body. The fee is reviewed on an annual basis.

Please note the following important information:

A certificate cannot be issued on the same day that the application is submitted. The processing time is 4 – 6 weeks under normal circumstances.

A request for replacements for certificates obtained prior to November 1992 can be made from the office of any of the Departments of Education and the same procedure followed.

Contact details for the various provincial and National Departments are as follows:

You can verify your educational Qualifications on the National Learners` Records Database (NLRD) at the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA).

If you are an employer, you can also confirm the Qualifications of your employees on the database. If you check your own information, you receive the full record of what the NLRD holds concerning you. When other parties verify your information as a learner, they must give an exact query (which Qualification, Institution and date). SAQA`s response is either “found” or “not found” concerning that information only.

Information currently available on the NLRD

University achievements from 1986 to 2008 in full

Partial information from 1965 to 1985

A small amount of information from 1964 back to 1900.

Information from 2009 and 2010 is currently being loaded, and can be verified against the unaudited dataset that is held separately from the NLRD itself.

To request your own transcript of achievements from the National Learners’ Records Database, please e-mail your National ID Number and Full Name, with the subject “Request for Transcript”, to verifications@saqa.org.za

Please note: the transcript is for your own information. It does not replace SAQA’s usual verification process and reports. It is not a verification statement in terms of the Public Service directive, and it should not be attached to job applications.

Should there be no information, you can contact the NQF and Career Advice Services on help@careerhelp.org.za with scanned copies of your certificates for further information.

6. How can I check if the courses I have completed have credit towards a Qualification?

You can verify your educational Qualifications on the National Learners` Records Database (NLRD) at the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA). If you check your own information, you receive the full record of what the NLRD holds concerning you. Should there be no information, you can contact the NQF and Career Advice Services on *protected email* with scanned copies of your certificates for further information. (as per information sent by NLRD)

Confirm Higher Educational Institutions

Students, parents and learners need to make sure that schools where they register their children are fully registered with the South African Qualifications Authority and the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET).

To do this‚ students are advised to check the registration certificate of that institution.

This certificate‚ issued by the DHET‚ must be able to clearly show all the programmes each institution is accredited to offer.

If there is a programme that is not included in that certificate but which the institution promises to offer‚ students must know that they are being conned.

A list of all the names of institutions that are fully registered and operating legally is available at on the links below:

7. What should learners know before enrolling for a study programme or qualification?

Before you register for any qualification or programme

Ensure that:

You fully understand the accreditation status of the institution offering the qualification and that

You fully understand the status of the qualification or programme.

Use the following information when considering Where to enrol and What to enrol for.

Umalusi (the Council for Quality Assurance in General and Further Education and Training) is an official body that accredits private providers to offer particular qualifications on the National Qualifications Framework (NQF) at levels 1-4.

Umalusi accredits:

Private FET colleges

Independent schools

Private adult education and training providers

NB: Public providers such as public schools, public adult learning centres and public FET colleges are not required to seek accreditation

Registration and Accreditation of Private Providers

To ensure that you enrol with a credible provider

Make sure that the institution is registered by the appropriate Department of Education and

Secondly, it is accredited by Umalusi or another Quality Council or body such as a Sector Education and Training Authority (SETA)

These are two separate, but related processes

-Firstly

All private providers of education and training that offer qualifications certified by Umalusi (above) MUST be registered with the state in order to operate legally in South Africa. This means that independent schools must register with the appropriate Provincial Department of Education and private FET colleges must register with the Department of Higher Education and Training in Pretoria.

Note: An exception has been made for private providers that offer short courses and skills programmes exclusively accredited by the Quality Council for Trades and Occupations (QCTO) – these do not have to register.

Private providers are required to display their registration certificate publicly and you, as a prospective client, MUST ask to see the certificate of registration. The certificate of registration will include the national qualifications which the provider is registered to offer.

-Secondly

Private providers must be accredited either with Umalusi or another quality assurance body to offer a specific qualification. Quality assurance bodies issue letters or certificates accrediting a provider. You should check whether a provider is accredited to offer the national qualification you wish to enrol for and ask for the accreditation number.

A list of private institutions accredited by Umalusi can be found on our website at www.umalusi.org.za

If you want to check on a provider accredited by QCTO or a SETA (Sector Education and Training Authority) go to the website of the South African Qualifications Authority at www.saqa.org.za and click on the links with the various SETAs where you can access lists of accredited providers.

Qualifications offered by Private Providers

Private providers may provide a range of qualifications. These may include formal credit-bearing qualifications registered on the National Qualifications Framework (NQF) (which they must be accredited to offer), and non-formal provider programmes. Also, some institutions offer foreign programmes, which are quality assured by foreign bodies.

Students must therefore, before they enrol for a qualification, ascertain whether the qualification they are registering for, is a formal national qualification, or a non- formal provider programme.

Umalusi certifies a number of formal qualifications offered by both public and private providers and consequently accredits such providers to offer these qualifications. These are:

The National Senior Certificate(NSC)

The National Certificate Vocational (NCV)

The National Technical Certificate (N3) Engineering as well as

The General Education and Training Certificate: Adult (GETC)

Qualifications and Programmes

Private providers generally offer three main types of qualifications, namely

National Qualifications are formal qualifications registered on the National Qualifications Framework (NQF), which is a centralized register of all the nationally recognized qualifications in South Africa.

National qualifications are developed and quality assured by Quality Councils, namely Umalusi, the Council on Higher Education (CHE) and the Quality Council for Trades and Occupations (QCTO), under which all the SETAs fall. National qualifications carry national credits and are certificated by the Quality Councils and in the case of higher education by universities, but NOT by a provider. Examples of such qualifications are:

The National Senior Certificate as offered by most high schools in South Africa

The GETC: adult as offered by many adult education and training providers

The National Certificate Vocational (NCV) offered by public FET colleges and some private colleges

Further Education and Training Certificates of various kinds also offered by FET colleges, such as Perishable Produce Exportation or Mechanical Engineering: Pipe-Fitting or Small Business Management and so forth

There are many such qualifications registered on the NQF.

NB: To check whether a qualification is registered on the NQF go to the website of the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA) at www.saqa.org.za

Please keep the following in mind before you enrol for a National Qualification:

If you wish to enrol for a nationally recognised qualification ask the provider for written proof that the qualification is registered on the NQF – the NQF ID number should be in evidence or check whether it is registered by going to www.saqa.org.za.

Ask for evidence that the provider is registered with the Department of Education to offer specific national qualifications – a certificate should be publicly displayed.

Ask for evidence that the provider has approval or accreditation from the relevant Quality Council such as QCTO or Umalusi or the Council on Higher Education (CHE) to offer the qualification.

If you are enrolling for an N Certificate / NCV or National Senior Certificate, keep in mind that you will write national examinations set by the Department of Education. Providers are not allowed to set their own examinations or issue certificates for these qualifications. These qualifications are certified by Umalusi.

Provider Programmes

If you are enrolling on a Provider Programme remember that they serve a different purpose to National Qualifications. Provider Programmes are usually designed to address specific education, training and development needs that may not necessarily be addressed by National Qualifications, for example courses for self-enrichment, continuous professional development, self- employment, or orientation to a specific career.

Provider Programmes are quality assured and certified by the provider, i.e. the college, itself.; they are not registered on the NQF; do not carry any national credits; and do not lead to a National Qualification.

Agent Qualifications

Some providers offer qualifications and programmes on behalf of professional or foreign awarding bodies. Some of these qualifications are national qualifications registered on the NQF while others are not, and some are foreign qualifications. The provider acts as an agent of the professional or awarding body. Examples include qualifications and programmes examined and certified by Pitmans, CompTia, Cambridge, Microsoft, IMM, ICSA (professional body), City and Guilds, Edexel and so forth etc.

Please remember: it is not illegal to offer agent qualification, providing the provider is licensed to offer them by a foreign awarding body or a professional body and the provider is registered with the Department of Education.

To summarise:

Decide what kind of programme or qualification you wish to enrol for, i.e. national qualification, provider programme or agency qualification, remembering to also establish what the certificate will mean once you have completed it – Will it be recognized nationally? Will it ensure a job? Will it be recognized internationally? Will it provide enrichment or professional development?

Is the provider accredited either with Umalusi or QCTO or CHE to offer the national qualification you wish to register for? A list of providers accredited with Umalusi can be found at www.umalusi.org.za; QCTO (SETAs) accredited providers can be found on the SETA websites and also accessed through the SAQA website at www.saqa.org.za

Is the provider registered with the Department of Education? For FET colleges check on the following website: www.dhet.gov.za ; for independent schools contact the appropriate provincial department of education.

8. Umalusi for the verification of my certificates?

The Council has the responsibility for the issuing of the following certificates:

Senior Certificate

National Senior Certificate (FET colleges)

National N3 Certificate

Subject certificate

General Education and Training Certificate

Learning area certificate

National Certificate (Vocational)

National Senior Certificate (Schools)

Subject statement

Please note that Umalusi does not work directly with members of the public with regard to verification services. Individuals should apply through a verification agency for verification services.

Please visit our website at www.umalusi.org.za under the verification heading for the names of agencies that have contracts with Umalusi. There are a number of other verification agencies which are not listed, but which have contracts with Umalusi, that can also be contacted. You are not limited to using an agency listed on the website.

Please note: Agencies charge varying fees for verification services. You are therefore advised to request prices from more than one agency before requesting the verification of your qualifications.

Umalusi is responsible for the replacement of the Senior Certificate and National Senior Certificate as from September 1992.

To apply for a replacement (in lieu of a lost certificate) of your matric/Gr12 certificate the following is required:

A completed application form, which can be obtained at any of the departments of education or on the website of the National Department of Basic Education (www.education.gov.za)

Applications forms must be completed taking care of the detail required, e.g. year qualifications obtained, surname and names under which the person qualified for the certificate and where possible the school name.

Applications for lost certificate / re-issues can be done at any of the Departments of Education, irrespective of where you wrote your matric, for example, if you have written the exam in a school in Eastern Cape, you can approach the Mpumalanga Department of Education for a replacement certificate.

An affidavit – All applications for replacement of lost/damaged certificates should be accompanied by a signed affidavit from a police station stating the status of the original certificate e.g. stolen; lost in a move.

It should be noted that the previous certificate is cancelled when a replacement certificate is issued.

A certified copy of the candidate`s identity document is required. (This copy must be certified by a commissioner of oaths. A copy can be made and certified either at a police station or at an attorney`s office where they should do it for free.)

Proof of payment of administration fees – An administration fee is payable with a request for a certificate. The fee payable can be established with the accredited assessment body. The fee is reviewed on an annual basis.

Please note the following important information:

A certificate cannot be issued on the same day that the application is submitted. The processing time is 4 – 6 weeks under normal circumstances.

A request for replacements for certificates obtained prior to November 1992 can be made from the office of any of the Departments of Education and the same procedure followed.

Contact details for the various provincial and National Departments are as follows:

You can verify your educational Qualifications on the National Learners` Records Database (NLRD) at the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA).

If you are an employer, you can also confirm the Qualifications of your employees on the database. If you check your own information, you receive the full record of what the NLRD holds concerning you. When other parties verify your information as a learner, they must give an exact query (which Qualification, Institution and date). SAQA`s response is either “found” or “not found” concerning that information only.

Information currently available on the NLRD

University achievements from 1986 to 2008 in full

Partial information from 1965 to 1985

A small amount of information from 1964 back to 1900.

Information from 2009 and 2010 is currently being loaded, and can be verified against the unaudited dataset that is held separately from the NLRD itself.

To request your own transcript of achievements from the National Learners’ Records Database, please e-mail your National ID Number and Full Name, with the subject “Request for Transcript”, to verifications@saqa.org.za

Please note: the transcript is for your own information. It does not replace SAQA’s usual verification process and reports. It is not a verification statement in terms of the Public Service directive, and it should not be attached to job applications.

Should there be no information, you can contact the NQF and Career Advice Services on help@careerhelp.org.za with scanned copies of your certificates for further information.

6. How can I check if the courses I have completed have credit towards a Qualification?

You can verify your educational Qualifications on the National Learners` Records Database (NLRD) at the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA). If you check your own information, you receive the full record of what the NLRD holds concerning you. Should there be no information, you can contact the NQF and Career Advice Services on *protected email* with scanned copies of your certificates for further information. (as per information sent by NLRD)

Confirm Higher Educational Institutions

Students, parents and learners need to make sure that schools where they register their children are fully registered with the South African Qualifications Authority and the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET).

To do this‚ students are advised to check the registration certificate of that institution.

This certificate‚ issued by the DHET‚ must be able to clearly show all the programmes each institution is accredited to offer.

If there is a programme that is not included in that certificate but which the institution promises to offer‚ students must know that they are being conned.

A list of all the names of institutions that are fully registered and operating legally is available at on the links below:

7. What should learners know before enrolling for a study programme or qualification?

Before you register for any qualification or programme

Ensure that:

You fully understand the accreditation status of the institution offering the qualification and that

You fully understand the status of the qualification or programme.

Use the following information when considering Where to enrol and What to enrol for.

Umalusi (the Council for Quality Assurance in General and Further Education and Training) is an official body that accredits private providers to offer particular qualifications on the National Qualifications Framework (NQF) at levels 1-4.

Umalusi accredits:

Private FET colleges

Independent schools

Private adult education and training providers

NB: Public providers such as public schools, public adult learning centres and public FET colleges are not required to seek accreditation

Registration and Accreditation of Private Providers

To ensure that you enrol with a credible provider

Make sure that the institution is registered by the appropriate Department of Education and

Secondly, it is accredited by Umalusi or another Quality Council or body such as a Sector Education and Training Authority (SETA)

These are two separate, but related processes

-Firstly

All private providers of education and training that offer qualifications certified by Umalusi (above) MUST be registered with the state in order to operate legally in South Africa. This means that independent schools must register with the appropriate Provincial Department of Education and private FET colleges must register with the Department of Higher Education and Training in Pretoria.

Note: An exception has been made for private providers that offer short courses and skills programmes exclusively accredited by the Quality Council for Trades and Occupations (QCTO) – these do not have to register.

Private providers are required to display their registration certificate publicly and you, as a prospective client, MUST ask to see the certificate of registration. The certificate of registration will include the national qualifications which the provider is registered to offer.

-Secondly

Private providers must be accredited either with Umalusi or another quality assurance body to offer a specific qualification. Quality assurance bodies issue letters or certificates accrediting a provider. You should check whether a provider is accredited to offer the national qualification you wish to enrol for and ask for the accreditation number.

A list of private institutions accredited by Umalusi can be found on our website at www.umalusi.org.za

If you want to check on a provider accredited by QCTO or a SETA (Sector Education and Training Authority) go to the website of the South African Qualifications Authority at www.saqa.org.za and click on the links with the various SETAs where you can access lists of accredited providers.

Qualifications offered by Private Providers

Private providers may provide a range of qualifications. These may include formal credit-bearing qualifications registered on the National Qualifications Framework (NQF) (which they must be accredited to offer), and non-formal provider programmes. Also, some institutions offer foreign programmes, which are quality assured by foreign bodies.

Students must therefore, before they enrol for a qualification, ascertain whether the qualification they are registering for, is a formal national qualification, or a non- formal provider programme.

Umalusi certifies a number of formal qualifications offered by both public and private providers and consequently accredits such providers to offer these qualifications. These are:

The National Senior Certificate(NSC)

The National Certificate Vocational (NCV)

The National Technical Certificate (N3) Engineering as well as

The General Education and Training Certificate: Adult (GETC)

Qualifications and Programmes

Private providers generally offer three main types of qualifications, namely

National Qualifications are formal qualifications registered on the National Qualifications Framework (NQF), which is a centralized register of all the nationally recognized qualifications in South Africa.

National qualifications are developed and quality assured by Quality Councils, namely Umalusi, the Council on Higher Education (CHE) and the Quality Council for Trades and Occupations (QCTO), under which all the SETAs fall. National qualifications carry national credits and are certificated by the Quality Councils and in the case of higher education by universities, but NOT by a provider. Examples of such qualifications are:

The National Senior Certificate as offered by most high schools in South Africa

The GETC: adult as offered by many adult education and training providers

The National Certificate Vocational (NCV) offered by public FET colleges and some private colleges

Further Education and Training Certificates of various kinds also offered by FET colleges, such as Perishable Produce Exportation or Mechanical Engineering: Pipe-Fitting or Small Business Management and so forth

There are many such qualifications registered on the NQF.

NB: To check whether a qualification is registered on the NQF go to the website of the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA) at www.saqa.org.za

Please keep the following in mind before you enrol for a National Qualification:

If you wish to enrol for a nationally recognised qualification ask the provider for written proof that the qualification is registered on the NQF – the NQF ID number should be in evidence or check whether it is registered by going to www.saqa.org.za.

Ask for evidence that the provider is registered with the Department of Education to offer specific national qualifications – a certificate should be publicly displayed.

Ask for evidence that the provider has approval or accreditation from the relevant Quality Council such as QCTO or Umalusi or the Council on Higher Education (CHE) to offer the qualification.

If you are enrolling for an N Certificate / NCV or National Senior Certificate, keep in mind that you will write national examinations set by the Department of Education. Providers are not allowed to set their own examinations or issue certificates for these qualifications. These qualifications are certified by Umalusi.

Provider Programmes

If you are enrolling on a Provider Programme remember that they serve a different purpose to National Qualifications. Provider Programmes are usually designed to address specific education, training and development needs that may not necessarily be addressed by National Qualifications, for example courses for self-enrichment, continuous professional development, self- employment, or orientation to a specific career.

Provider Programmes are quality assured and certified by the provider, i.e. the college, itself.; they are not registered on the NQF; do not carry any national credits; and do not lead to a National Qualification.

Agent Qualifications

Some providers offer qualifications and programmes on behalf of professional or foreign awarding bodies. Some of these qualifications are national qualifications registered on the NQF while others are not, and some are foreign qualifications. The provider acts as an agent of the professional or awarding body. Examples include qualifications and programmes examined and certified by Pitmans, CompTia, Cambridge, Microsoft, IMM, ICSA (professional body), City and Guilds, Edexel and so forth etc.

Please remember: it is not illegal to offer agent qualification, providing the provider is licensed to offer them by a foreign awarding body or a professional body and the provider is registered with the Department of Education.

To summarise:

Decide what kind of programme or qualification you wish to enrol for, i.e. national qualification, provider programme or agency qualification, remembering to also establish what the certificate will mean once you have completed it – Will it be recognized nationally? Will it ensure a job? Will it be recognized internationally? Will it provide enrichment or professional development?

Is the provider accredited either with Umalusi or QCTO or CHE to offer the national qualification you wish to register for? A list of providers accredited with Umalusi can be found at www.umalusi.org.za; QCTO (SETAs) accredited providers can be found on the SETA websites and also accessed through the SAQA website at www.saqa.org.za

Is the provider registered with the Department of Education? For FET colleges check on the following website: www.dhet.gov.za ; for independent schools contact the appropriate provincial department of education.

8. Umalusi for the verification of my certificates?

The Council has the responsibility for the issuing of the following certificates:

Senior Certificate

National Senior Certificate (FET colleges)

National N3 Certificate

Subject certificate

General Education and Training Certificate

Learning area certificate

National Certificate (Vocational)

National Senior Certificate (Schools)

Subject statement

Please note that Umalusi does not work directly with members of the public with regard to verification services. Individuals should apply through a verification agency for verification services.

Please visit our website at www.umalusi.org.za under the verification heading for the names of agencies that have contracts with Umalusi. There are a number of other verification agencies which are not listed, but which have contracts with Umalusi, that can also be contacted. You are not limited to using an agency listed on the website.

Please note: Agencies charge varying fees for verification services. You are therefore advised to request prices from more than one agency before requesting the verification of your qualifications.

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